LI DATELINES

HEMPSTEAD/Hofstra and Nassau College join in degree program

A new arrangement between Hofstra University and nearby Nassau Community College will let eligible students seamlessly begin a bachelor's degree right after earning an associate's, school officials said Wednesday.

Students applying to the program, called the "2+2 Joint Admissions Agreement," must meet Hofstra's admissions standards and be able to pay its nearly $31,000 tuition, but will complete their first two years at Nassau and pay its tuition ($3,732 for county residents), said Herman A. Berliner, Hofstra's provost.

Those interested in signing up for 2+2, which they can begin this semester, can call either school for information, Berliner said.

Once they've earned their associate's degree in arts or science, 2+2 students can transfer to Hofstra, provided they have at least a 2.3 grade-point average. For students whose grades are good enough to merit an academic scholarship at Hofstra, that school will provide an additional $1,000 scholarship, Berliner said.

- MATTHEW CHAYES

NORTH HEMPSTEAD/Town and Nassau police set up REACH program

The Town of North Hempstead is partnering with the county to offer a Nassau police program that enrolls children and those with cognitive disorders into a database to help officers locate them if they are missing.

The program is called REACH, for Return Every Adult and Child Home.

As of next month, residents can make appointments to register at town hall children and adults with disorders such as Alzheimer's, dementia and autism, town Councilman Thomas Dwyer said yesterday.

Photographs and personal information about those registered will be kept in a database that officers can access from patrol cars when someone is reported missing, said Nassau Police Det. Sgt. Gary Shapiro.

Dwyer said there are some 25,000 people in Nassau County with Alzheimer's.

- JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER

HICKSVILLE/Marble eagle at LIRR station gets face-lift

A 5,700-pound marble eagle that has been perched outside the Hicksville LIRR station since 1965 has undergone a $5,000 face-lift.

The 100-year-old eagle, whose beak had fallen off last year, was among 22 on the facade of the original Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan before much of it was demolished in 1964 to make way for a new Madison Square Garden.

Nassau County gave $2,500 from its hotel and motel tax income fund to pay for the work. The rest came from the Hicksville Historical Society ($1,300) and the Long Island Sunrise Trail Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society ($1,200).

Railroad historian Dave Morrison said the historical society is hoping to raise another $750 to put a protective coating on the eagle.

- BILL BLEYER

SUFFOLK COUNTY/Water Authority and union agree to contract

After a year without a contract, Suffolk County Water Authority reached a new, four-year contract with its 360 utility workers, giving them an average $700 lump-sum payment for 2009 and 2 percent pay hikes for the next three years.

The five-member board unanimously approved the pact with Local 393 of the Utility Workers Union of America Tuesday at the authority's Oakdale headquarters. The deal also gives authority managers more flexibility over operations and promotions. The contract does not cover the authority's lab employees, who are still negotiating their first contract.

The authority also adopted the state's early retirement incentive offerings, which officials say 36 workers are likely to accept.

Officials say the incentive will cost the authority $1.7 million this year, but will lead to $1.4 million in annual savings going forward because about half the jobs will not be filled.

- RICK BRAND